Hysteria

Chapter 3

‘Was he telling the truth?’

That was the only query dominating my frenetic thoughts, circulating inside my head as I crawled my way out of the desolate street, holding one wall after another, supporting my weight that my own legs refused to carry, on inanimate objects.

‘Was he really protecting me? Was there really someone who was worried about me all along?’

Leaning my head against the rough bricks, I looked up at the inky sky with a desperate gaze. Even the celestial bodies seemed to have abandoned me. It was a moonless night, and despite it being a town famous for its beautiful farms and clear skies, the murkiness created by some wandering clouds had shadowed the smaller stars, turning the heavens above my head into a big scary black-hole, painting a similar picture to that of my life since childhood, a big meaningless smudge holding the power to engulf my insignificant existence any moment.

The only source of light guiding me through the sea of blackness was a single lamppost located at the far end of the street, casting a dull yellowish glow on my hazy surroundings, providing enough light for me to pave my way out of there.

“The scary figures, it wasn’t me. It was the other creatures trying to obtain my soul out of you.”

Hysteria’s voice was still ringing inside my head, making me turn my head side to side, every other moment in fear of an unknown creature jumping at me out of nowhere. Every single horror I had faced in my life seemed to be playing in my mind like a reel making me wonder what the portentous night had in store for me this time,

“It’s okay. It’s fine.”

Rubbing my sweaty palms on the rough surface of my washed jeans, I repeated the same words that my mother had told me when she had found me hidden inside the sink cabinet, covered in a mixture of my own vomit and sweat, screaming at her to get rid of the crawling doll.

The urge to run towards my old house and snuggle into her warm arms was too strong, but I knew I couldn’t do it. Not for the night at least. Not since I saw a creature, imposing as my mum, slicing its own throat open with a wicked grin.

A shudder passed through my body as I unknowingly recalled the awful memory.

‘Mom…’

Heaving an exasperated sigh out, I tried directing my attention back towards my unusually quiet surroundings. I had gone through these streets before yet the place appeared to be unnaturally silent, no sound could be heard except for the crunching of my worn out sneakers against the gravel as I tried to get towards the light source as fast as possible.

‘Just some more steps,’

I was more or less ten steps away from the street lamp, almost feeling relieved for having left the darkness behind when a low groan reached my ears, turning me stiff in my place. It didn’t sound like a pained groan, it was more of a grunt. Similar to what I had heard two years ago on the night of my first Halloween party.

“No,”

My heart was hammering against my rib cage as my brain started playing images from that day before my eyes, flashing them in front of my vision one by one, making me recall the whole event when I had made a fool out of myself in front of the whole college.

It was definitely the same sound which came out of that decomposing corpse’s half-eaten lips when his decaying cheek had fallen just above my breasts.

‘Oh, God! Please let it be a dream.’

“Ugh...”

I had heard no footsteps yet the sound seemed to have come closer,